Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, said Tuesday that Bush's decision puts the president himself under suspicion of a cover-up in the case.

"The president, by commuting Mr. Libby's sentence, has guaranteed that he will be under no incentive whatsoever to tell the truth," Wilson said on CNN's "American Morning." "I think there is a very real suspicion now that the president himself is an accessory to obstruction of justice in this matter."Watch Wilson explain how he thinks power has been abused Video

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald "has said from the very beginning that the reason he was not able to get to an underlying crime was because Mr. Libby repeatedly lied," Wilson said.

Democracy, as it is commonly understood, is about more than free and fair elections. It requires "independent courts, equality before the law, and constitutional limits on the powers of government. It establishes independent institutions to control and punish corruption and abuse of power." No one in a democracy "may be arrested, imprisoned, or exiled arbitrarily. No one may be denied freedom without a fair and public hearing by an impartial court.

1.Passages from the explanations given to Iraqis of the requisites of democratic government by Larry Diamond (Senior Fellow-Hoover Institute), when an advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in early 2004, as recounted by Larry Diamond in Squandered Victory, pp 106, 111.

By MARTIN SCHRAM Scripps Howard News Service On the night he became president of the United States under the most unprecedented of circumstances, Gerald Ford stood in the East Room of what was officially his new home and nailed the essence of governance in a single sentence: ``I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together ...'' By that standard, the government of President Bush and Vice President Cheney came unglued long ago. Bush's commutation on Monday of former vice-presidential chief of staff I. Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby's 30-month prison sentence -- a jail term sought by a Republican-appointed special prosecutor, decreed by a Republican-appointed judge, upheld by a Republican-appointed appellate court -- for the felonies of perjury and obstruction of justice should have surprised no one in the know. It fell nicely within the pattern that has ruled the Bush-Cheney administration. Ever since the days of their pre-inaugural transition, secrecy has reigned. Truth has been viewed as fungible, malleable, expendable. It has been that way on all manner of matters -- from the intelligence underlying the sending of young men and women into harm's way and then keeps them there when the mission has been changed, or the justification for the jettisoning of principles of treatment of those captured in war, or merely those traditional corruptions involving the influence of special interests in the making of the policies that govern and even shape our lives. The compound cover-ups continue, unabated because they are oft-abetted -- and all of Washington knows it, from the ever-outraged liberals to often-angered centrists to the occasionally irked conservatives. What has slipped their collective minds, however is that in a very real sense, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, special counsel in the Libby case, has made himself part of the Bush-Cheney cover-up. Fitzgerald has departed from the tradition established by previous special counsels and has opted not to report to the public on the conclusions his investigation established concerning the scandal he was appointed to investigate. Specifically, Fitzgerald has chosen not to outline the conclusions of his excruciatingly long and meticulous investigation that would shed light at last on just who did what in the Bush-Cheney administration's leaking to journalists the identity of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame. This is a matter of significant public importance because the case involves far more than Libby's actions. It involves actions taken by the man Libby so loyally served for years and was clearly trying to shield by making false statements to federal investigators -- Cheney. The case also involves direct actions taken by the president's closest political strategist and operative, White House assistant Karl Rove. Cheney, Rove and, no doubt, the president were displeased by public statements by Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, that Bush had been incorrect in his State of the Union assertion that Iraq sought uranium in Niger. The CIA had sent Wilson to look into the statement. Cheney, Rove and others understandably wanted to discredit Wilson's competence -- which is no crime, just politics. It is a federal crime to divulge the identity of a covert CIA agent -- but only if the leaker knows that individual actually is a covert agent, not just a CIA employee. That's difficult to prove in court. So Fitzgerald wound up charging no one with divulging a covert agent's identity. But Libby obstructed justice by making false statements to federal investigators and the grand jury, especially about how he learned that Plame worked for the CIA. Libby was told that by Cheney. But Libby had claimed to investigators he learned it from NBC journalist Tim Russert, who is rarely mistaken for the veep. Meanwhile, the president was asserting he wanted his staff to tell the truth and would fire any leaker. His press secretary assured America that it was ridiculous to think that Rove or Libby told journalists of Plame's identity. But we now know they had. Then again, lying to journalists or ordinary Americans is not obstruction of justice. Just obstruction of democracy. That is why Bush desperately hopes Fitzgerald will keep the lid on what he knows about the false statements and undemocratic acts made in his name. No wonder his Monday statement carefully praised Fitzgerald as ``a highly qualified, professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged'' -- even as the president was erasing the core result of Fitzgerald's work. A special counsel's public duty goes beyond prosecuting criminals. It is a public trust that must never withhold vital truths from the citizens he serves.

IP Address 144.162.X.XXX (Dallas County Community College District)ISP Dallas County Community College DistrictLocation Continent: North AmericaCountry : United States (Facts)State : TexasCity : Mesquite

Is there such a thing as a GOPer with guts to stand up and act like a real man or woman? Still waiting...

As General Odom says, the endgame will start "when a senior senator from the president's party says no," much as William Fulbright did to L.B.J. during Vietnam. That's why in Washington this fall, eyes will turn once again to John Warner, the senior Republican with the clout to give political cover to other members of his party who want to leave Iraq before they're forced to evacuate Congress. In September, it will be nearly a year since Mr. Warner said that Iraq was "drifting sideways" and that action would have to be taken "if this level of violence is not under control and this government able to function."

Mr. Warner has also signaled his regret that he was not more outspoken during Vietnam. "We kept surging in those years," he told The Washington Post in January, as the Iraq surge began. "It didn't work." Surely he must recognize that his moment for speaking out about this war is overdue. Without him, the Democrats don't have the votes to force the president's hand. With him, it's a slam dunk. The best way to honor the sixth anniversary of 9/11 will be to at last disarm a president who continues to squander countless lives in the names of those voiceless American dead.

"Bush eliminated Libby's 2 1/2-year prison term and left in place his two years of supervised release. But supervised release — a form of probation — is only available to people who have served prison time. Without prison, it's unclear what happens next.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton posed the question to Libby's attorneys and to Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald: Does this mean Libby won't actually be required to serve supervised release? Should he just have to report to probation officials as if he spent time in prison?

The law, Walton said in court documents, "does not appear to contemplate a situation in which a defendant may be placed under supervised release without first completing a term of incarceration."

For now, it appears Libby is in legal limbo. Walton gave both sides until Monday to respond."

Outraged at the pardon, as if Bush gives a damn. The right wing will be satisfied and everyone else already hates him. So really, what difference does it make in the scheme of things? He lied about the war, we're still in it; Gonzales fired attorneys not in lockstep, he's still AG; Cheney's pals at Haliburton get richer each day and are still at the public trough; it goes on and on, each day a new nastier revelation.

It turns out that incompetence is their best trait.

And yet they do not care, because they know they can continue to spin and watch the opposition sputter and accomplish little. They have dug in their heels to undo 40 years of civil and human rights. They learned the game at its worst but play it hard and dirty.

The scales of Justice aren't finished yet with Libby. The out cry of Libby's sentence being commuted isn't over yet folks. After careful review of the law, the Gerbil had to talk now about pardon. There's a good reason for that. One is to keep Libby from talking. Secondly the decision Bush made was illegally done. Next we have to remember the pardon that Bush says he might give Libby has to follow the guidelines.

Now this looks more like a stall tactic to allow Bush/Cheney to leave office and let Libby hang. Bush is finished and he knows it with his conduct. Worse is the fact that he has intervened in the Court and Judges decisions. Let's just say it's not good when you get Judges made. I know Judge Walton and the Appeals Judges are mad but they do have to laugh at an idiot who hasn't finished the book My Pet Goat is making decisions of law. A President who hasn't mastered English is giving legal decision.

Anyone else going to be in a parade tomorrow? I'm going to drive the hybrid car for some environmentalist friends.

Good point Jan, Should it now be known as Freedumb Day since the Duhbya swiped the prezidency?

It turns out that incompetence is their best trait. LOL yes that is quite true regarding all of them.

Jackie you said it, those judges had to be po'd...Judge Reggie was so careful about being overruled on appeal-and he wasn't until the decider took over

Dubya's actions have breathed new life into old conflicts,thanks again for nothing-couldn't have done it without him, Dick and KKKarl.

Mainchina msnTojo's granddaughter vows to take on WWII issues if electedThe granddaughter of wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo said Tuesday if she wins election later this month for a seat in the Diet she will push to strengthen the military, rewrite the history of the Rape of Nanking and move to censure the United States for dropping atomic bombs on Japan.

Tojo's grandfather, Hideki Tojo, Japan's prime minister from 1941 to 1944, is widely remembered as a warmonger who was behind Tokyo's invasions of its Asian and Pacific neighbors. It was Tojo who also ordered the Pearl Harbor attack that killed 2,388 American troops and brought the U.S. into World War II.

He was hanged by the Allies in 1948 after the Tokyo war crimes tribunal.

"Robert Lichfield is the Mormon founder of World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools — “tough love” schools for troubled teens. He’s also a political powerhouse. According to Federal Elections Commission records, Lichfield donated $175,000 over the past year to the Republican Party. In fact, he was named Republican of the Year this year by the Washington County GOP. Lichfield has been supporting Romney since he ran for Governor of Massachusetts, and is currently co-chairman of Romney’s Utah finance committee."

The koolaid drinkers better hold off on the balloons and cake for the little soldier. The attorney-in-chief screwed up once again. He basically threw a log on the road on Libby's case. The moron should had given the little soldier clemency when little soldier was sentenced and not appeal his case. The moron would have abided by the clemency regulation. But too little too late. The Gerbil opened up a much bigger can of worms with his actions:

From Free Market News:

WASHINGTON—President Bush forced the CIA leak case into uncharted legal territory when he commuted the prison sentence of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a federal judge said Tuesday. Bush eliminated Libby's 2 1/2-year prison term and left in place his two years of supervised release. But supervised release—a form of probation—is only available to people who have served prison time. Without prison, it's unclear what happens next.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton posed the question to Libby's attorneys and to Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald: Does this mean Libby won't actually be required to serve supervised release? Should he just have to report to probation officials as if he spent time in prison?

The law, Walton said in court documents, "does not appear to contemplate a situation in which a defendant may be placed under supervised release without first completing a term of incarceration."

For now, it appears Libby is in legal limbo. Walton gave both sides until Monday to respond.

This is certainly not over. And the Gerbil will need his best friend more than ever: Jack Daniels.

"He added, "[Section 3583, the law in question] does not appear to contemplate a situation in which a defendant may be placed under supervised release without first completing a term of incarceration."

"In a statement to RAW STORY Tuesday, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the decision to commute Libby's sentence required congressional oversight."

If Bush gives Libby a full pardon, can Libby be hauled before Congress? Make my 4th of July.

We all know that the Declaration of Independence announced the United States' freedom from the British Empire. We all remember that it declared certain truths to be self-evident. But what you probably haven't heard is that the declaration also advanced an idea about war. The idea was that war ought to be governed by law.

Happy fourth of July, everyone. It won't truly be "Independence Day" until America is free from being occupied by the Bush dictatorship. I know we can achieve it. We just need to be true to our heritage. Thank you, Mr. Fitzgerald and your special team for all you've done in the Libby case. I am very grateful to you all. Peace and love to all.

Happy Fourth Fitz blog. It's a little sad to see our country dying as Cheney and Bush are trying to kick the last breath out of it. There will be a Revolution in this nation. It must come one way or the other. I just hope we can do it peacefully but these people only understand violence. They have killed every leader we've had that seriously opposed them. JFK, RFK, MLK. There is a group so powerful that our leaders dare not challenge them. We must take them down somehow.

Wonder if that rumor about the real reason why Valerie Plame was outed is true?

"Kinne dates this incident to the period just before the official invasion of Iraq, or possibly just after. She says that because the US engaged in so much bombing prior to the official invasion, she cannot recall for sure."

"In the case, which was decided last month, the Supreme Court upheld the nearly three-year sentence handed down to Victor Rita, a 25-year military veteran, who was convicted of perjery and obstruction of justice. The court ruled that prison sentences falling within federal guidelines established in the mid-1980s can be presumed to be reasonable, as the Bush administration advocated in its brief.

Libby's 30 months fell within the same guidelines, and an appeals court found the sentence to be reasonable and ordered the neoconservative war architect to prison, before Bush's 11th-hour intervention ensured he would never spend a day behind bars."

Bush is covering his own and Cheney's asses! Out the truth on the Bush/Cheney stench!

In addition to the general terms applicable to everyone, the Judge added two special conditions:

• He shall maintain full-time employment, the circumstances of which shall be in the discretion of the Probation Department, subject to the court’s review. • He shall perform 400 hours of community service, “as approved and directed by the Probation Department.”

The standard conditions Libby will have to abide by include:

• the defendant shall not leave the judicial district without the permission of the court or probation officer; • the defendant shall report to the probation officer and shall submit a truthful and complete written report within the first five days of each month; • the defendant shall answer truthfully all inquiries by the probation officer and follow the instructions of the probation officer; • the defendant shall refrain from excessive use of alcohol and shall not purchase, possess, use, distribute, or administer any controlled substance or any paraphernalia related to any controlled substances, except as prescribed by a physician; • the defendant shall not associate with any persons engaged in criminal activity and shall not associate with any person convicted of a felony, unless granted permission to do so by the probation officer; • the defendant shall permit a probation officer to visit him or her at any time at home or elsewhere • the defendant shall provide access to any requested financial information.

Basically in a nutshell is that Libby will be living a living hell from outside. Libby will be living like a prisoner from the outside without bars. His parole officer is now his parent.

"the defendant shall not associate with any persons engaged in criminal activity and shall not associate with any person convicted of a felony, unless granted permission to do so by the probation officer;"

No matter how Bush manipulate the justice system, Libby never served time for his sentence. Therefore, Libby is not qualified for commutation or a pardon. There will be more lawmakers digging more legal cases that are simliar to Libby's case. The Gerbil opened a large can of worms that will damage his Presidency and current and future cases with his illegal actions.

And I agree you. Thsi is slap in the face to the covert officers, judges, and entire judical who we hold to the highest in integrity.

Finally, it doesn’t matter if Libby is sent to jail or given supervised release. Scooter Libby is a marked man for life: a convicted felon.

p.s. let's not forget his other crimes that Libby committed. the leak case is not the only crimes that Libby was involved in. An investigation into a WH conspiracy needs to be opened. Also, the sealed vs. sealed need to be opened.

Not just Libby but the entire Bush Administration. They betrayed the judical system and the American people. Libby is branded as a convicted felon, the Gerbil is branded as the worse President ever, the entire Administration now has a human stain of disgrace in the history books. And all of the money is in the world will never erase the opinion of the hearts and minds of the American people and people around the world. A lame duck is a lame duck!

Let's not forget what we all see the entire administration for what it is.

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About Me

Think Globally Prosecute Locally
- I grew up in Flatbush, kept my nose clean, went to law school. Now that I am in Chicago and D.C. I have found that the rampant graft and corruption to be a travesty - a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.
---Favorite quote --- "Conditional love is an oxymoron." - Yours truly